BREAST SELF EXAMINATION

Yeliz E. Ersoy, M.D., Prof.

Bezmialem Vakif University Medical Faculty
General Surgery Department
BREAST EXAMINATION
• Breast Self Examination*
• Clinical Breast Examination

Three Steps
• Annual screening mammogram beginning at age 40
• Clinical breast exams at least every 3 years at age 20 and every year at age 40
• Monthly breast self-exams by age 20
Breast Self Examination
Check own breasts for any irregularities;
• lumps,
• changes in breast size or shape,
• nipple discharge, or
• irregular tissue thickening
• BSE is easy and free
• May detect some cancers
Once a Month
• “Forty percent of diagnosed breast cancers
are detected by women who feel a lump, so
establishing a regular breast self-exam is
very important.”
Johns Hopkins Medical Center

• Mammograms can help you to detect

cancer before you can feel a lump
• Breast self-exams help you to be familiar
with how your breasts look and feel
• So you can alert your healthcare
professional if there are any changes
 Teaching BSE

• Assist patient to establish a schedule

• Regular monthly exams
• Majority of women never get breast cancer, majority of
lumps are benign
• Early detection is important
• In non-invasive cancer, survival is close to 100%
 Self Breast Exam
Teaching positions:
1. Standing in front of mirror
2. In the shower – soap and water assist
palpation
3. Supine

Keep teaching simple

Demonstrate to patient and use return
demonstration
 Breast Palpation
• Supine position with small pad/pillow under
side to be palpated
• Arm raised over head
• Use pads of fingers and make gentle rotary
movement on breast
• Palpate all areas of breast
Examination of Nipples

• Performed after breast palpation.

• Palpate nipple, noting any
indurations or mass.
• Use thumb and forefinger to
apply gentle pressure to note
any discharge.
Time for self examination:

• For pre-menopousal women the most commonly recommended time is just after
the end of menstruation, because the breasts are least likely to be swollen and
tender at this time.

• Women who are postmenopausal or have irregular cycles might do a self-exam

once a month regardless of their menstrual cycle.

• In breast-feeding women, after nursing.

• In women using oral contraseptives, just before starting the new pillbox.
THANKS…